Black and White and Full of Color
by Marivan
Summary: When Sirius runs into Regulus on a midnight wander, he decides to discover what his brother is up to. R&R?
1. Chapter 1: A Midnight Meeting

A/N: My muse and inspiration for this story is the drawing "Black Brothers" at . This is my first published piece of fan fiction, so I hope you all enjoy it! And thanks to my wonderful Beta dippyprincess.

Disclaimer: Jo still owns it all, except for the plot, and this is not written for commercial gains but merely for my own enjoyment and the enjoyment of other readers (like you).

* * *

"I solemnly swear I am up to no good."

The two boys peered over a piece of parchment, lit by wand light, as their very own Marauder's map appeared before them. The taller of the two traced a finger over the map, searching for something.

"Oh crap!" He exclaimed, running a hand through his already untidy raven hair. His voice slightly echoed off the stone passageway they were hiding in, concealed behind a tapestry of man trying to tame a unicorn.

"What is it, Prongs?" the shorter boy asked sweetly, too sweetly, peering up expectedly at his companion.

"Do I really need to tell you Wormtail?" James asked with a tone of disgust at his friend. He could see for his bloody self, if he was really that clueless. James doubted Peter's sincerity, a suspicion confirmed by a sharp gasp from his companion.

"Oh, shut up, will you?"

oOo

Sirius climbed the stairs as quickly as he could with out making too much of a ruckus. The full moon shone through a large window on the landing, illuminating the white marble almost eerily. Splitting up now seemed like a foolish idea, even for Sirius. James had taken the map, so he had no idea if he would encounter someone around the next corner. The map had become such a fixture in their schemes that he felt almost naked with out, obviously something he would never confess to his friends. James would taunt him no doubt, Remus would smile that understanding and reassuring smile of his, and Peter would coo like a mother over her infant. Sure his friends were the greatest, but some things were better kept to himself.

Suddenly, Sirius heard footsteps patting against the marble stairs as who ever it was descended them. He froze, if it was a professor, he was bound for detention for months. It was only one night after he was last caught out of bed late, as yesterday, coming back from detention in the forbidden forest, Sirius had had a hankering for some sugar, and decided to make a stop by the kitchens before heading back to his dorm. Of course, he just had to meet Professor Binns along the way, who wouldn't hear of his excuses. A night's worth of detention really wasn't that bad, though, other professors would've given him worse. At least Binns didn't set if for tonight, that would have really messed things up. His friends would not have been pleased with him. But right now, that wasn't Sirius's chief worry.

The soft footsteps drew nearer, and something told him that they were someone also trying not to make a ruckus, too soft for a professor or Filch. Then the hem of a black robe and a mop of matching hair appeared. Figuring it must be a student, Sirius continued of the stairs, when a young boy came to a screeching halt before him. A green and gray scarf rapped around his neck to ward off the chill of the castle in winter, the boy peered up at Sirius, their features almost identical.

"Sirius? What are you doing up this late?" he asked.

"What do you think, Regulus?" Sirius replied sarcastically. "Detention, what else?" he snorted, trying to bide him self some time. "Let me redirect that question at you, what would an obedient chap like yourself be doing our so late? You could get into trouble, you know."

"Oh course I know, thank you. I have some, er, business to attend to," Regulus replied shortly.

"Care to inform your elder brother what this said business is?" Sirius asked, a slight smirk on his face.

"You never tell me half the stuff you and your friends get up to, why shouldn't I return the favor?" Regulus retorted, giving Sirius his best stern look.

"How 'bout this: I'll hex you if you don't tell me, there's a good one I've been wanting to try out for weeks now. You'd make the perfect guinea pig. Literally." Sirius teased, the smirk that crossed his face turning into more of an amused grin. Regulus looked up at his brother pleadingly, dropping all of his cool, confident façade.

"Please,"

As much as his brother and family in general irked him, Sirius knew that look. It wasn't like puppy dog eyes, no, it wasn't meant to be so adorable you were coerced in something. It was a look that Sirius, as a brother, knew: Don't ask. Don't tell. Just accept what I'm doing, where I'm going, and get on with your life.

Sirius nodded, giving his brother a half sort of encouraging smile, and, without a word, continued up the stairs and on his way.


	2. Chapter 2: Something's Amiss

A/N: So, finally, here it is - Chapter 2 of Black and White and Full of Color. It's a bit longer than the last chapter, and has one of my favorite moments of fanfiction I've written yet (which isn't saying a whole lot, but still).

Also, on a separate note, my writing productivity (ie work on Chapter 3) will be on a much more sporadic and lengthy schedule. Alas, the real world demands the majority of my free time. Soo, Enjoy this as much as you can!

Disclaimer: Jo still owns it all, except for the plot, and this is not written for commercial gains but merely for my own enjoyment and the enjoyment of other readers (like you).

* * *

It was lunchtime at Hogwarts, and the Great Hall was abuzz with chatter and activity. The Marauders were sitting in their usual place at the Gryffindor table, as far away from the teachers' table as the could muster, and reminiscing merrily about the previous night's adventure. Sirius couldn't deny that he _hadn't_ had a grand time, but at the moment he couldn't quite bring himself to fully enjoy the excitement of wandering around the grounds, at night, with out chance of being caught.

Instead, he shoveled ham and cheese sandwiches into his mouth. Not that any of his friends thought this was odd. All teenage boys have dragon-sized appetites, and they were more or less doing the same thing. Sirius would laugh at all the right times, but generally used the hunger gnawing at the pit of his stomach as an excuse not to say much. He just needed time to think, and meals were about the only times during the day when Sirius could count on having a couple spare minutes to himself.

Sirius's mind was not, as his friends' were, focused on their Forbidden Forest adventures. No, Sirius was still stuck on the encounter he'd had with Regulus. When James had asked him about it later, Sirius had shrugged it off, said it was nothing really, that Regulus had just been returning from a detention with Professor Sinistra on the Astronomy Tower. However, Sirius didn't believe his own lie. Regulus seemed too, too... anxious maybe, or even a bit scared. And the look that Regulus gave him was definitely out of character for his goody-too-shoes, teacher's pet, suck up of a brother. Though Sirius would never admit it out loud, it tugged at his heartstrings more than he wished it would.

In that instance he'd made up his mind, there was only one way to stop himself from feeling guilty. Sirius pushed his plate away from the edge of the table, and stood slowly, keeping his eyes trained on the Slytherin table across the Hall.

"You goin' somewhere? Meeting a Slytherin girl for some fun in the sun?" James's voice broke sharply into Sirius's cloud of thought, startling him severely. If it hadn't been for Remus sitting on the bench next to him, keeping it upright, the whole thing would have clattered over. As it was, Sirius was the one who did the clattering, finding himself sprawled oddly on the floor, one leg still hooked over the bench.

"Huh?" was all he could muster.

"Yup it's definitely a girl," James quipped to gales of laughter, "We'll want all the details later, Padfoot, my friend."

"Oh don't worry Prongsie," Sirius replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm, after finally managing to upright himself free of any obstacles, "I tell ya all the gory details."

As Sirius fled the Hall he heard James yell after him an excited, "Ooh, can't wait!" and Remus ask James half-heartedly "Was that really necessary?" However, Sirius's focus lay in scanning the Slytherin table for a mop of messy black hair that was so familiar. This task was made significantly harder by the fact that Sirius had absolutely no idea where find Regulus in the best of times. Lunchtime, with its constant flurry of activity was not nearly the best of times. At once Sirius irrationally felt guilty of being a bad brother and vowed to try and redeem himself in that regard.

Having determined that his brother was not seated in the Great Hall, Sirius let the flow of students carry him out into the entrance hall. From here he took up leaning lazily against the stonewall near the door, trying his best to act nonchalant. Sirius ran a hand through his already mussed hair. Then, realizing what he'd just done, he cursed softly under his breath. That was James's nervous habit, dammit, and Sirius was not going replicate the annoying behavior. To rectify the situation to himself, he shoved both hands behind his back and pinned them to the wall to keep them from doing other erratic things. When a tingly sensation started to radiate from his digits, Sirius realized he'd been leaning against the wall longer that he'd thought. As he hopped around shaking his hands wildly, to more than one bemused expression, the bell clanged loudly, reverberating off the stonewalls of the Entrance Hall. Regulus had not turned up.

oOo

Sirius had made it to Charms just in the nick of time, though once he was there, being late definitely seemed like the more appealing option. Spell theory was slowly wooing Sirius into the foggy state of mind that typically preceded sleep. Every so often Remus would jab his wand into Sirius's side, jolting him back to the present. On one such occasion, the disdain that crossed Remus's face reminded Sirius of a similar expression he had seen so many times on another face.

Sirius allowed himself to lapse into thought once more, this time though with the sharp image of Regulus engraved solidly in his mind. He could get the notes from Remus later anyhow.

And then it was painfully obvious what he should do. Sirius cursed himself for not having thought of it sooner.

"Excuse me Mr. Black," came Flitwick's squeaky voice. "That will be ten points from Gryffindor for the use of profanity."

Sirius sent a fretful glance at Remus: _had he really just said that a loud? _Remus, trying hard to conceal his amusement, nodded ever so slightly in the affirmative and then promptly went back to taking notes.

oOo

Sirius scanned the map closely for his brother's dot, as streams of students darted up and down the corridor he was standing in. Glancing up occasionally, there were some students whose arms were laden with books, and others, particularly Slytherins, had colorful scarves trailing behind them. Sirius didn't blame them, it was mighty cold down here, and even the occasional fires weren't doing enough to keep the stone spaces warm. Then the dot he was looking for, appeared rounding the corner, and Sirius looked up expectantly from the map. A character that was unmistakably Regulus, slightly hunched in a self-conscious manner with messy black hair on top, was walking towards him. He was obviously preoccupied with something, for he made no indication that he realized Sirius was nearby. Either that or Regulus had become extremely skilled at ignoring his older brother. Sirius hoped it was the former.

"Reg!" he called.

Still, there was no sign of notice from his brother's form, whether this was intentional or not, Sirius didn't know nor did he care. He tried again. "REGULUS BLACK!" he yelled, lunging through the crowd to grab his brother by the arm.

When hand made contact with arm, Regulus whirled around. "What?!" he demanded anxiously, but then realized exactly who was addressing him and added, "Oh it's you."

"Yes, it's me," Sirius replied for his own benefit, tugging Regulus towards an empty dungeon classroom. "And I was, er, curious if you wanted to chat about anything, like brother to brother," dropping Regulus's arm as he finished.

The look on Regulus's face, a mix of surprise and disgust, was not at all encouraging. "Since when have you been one to chat heart to heart?" he asked.

"Look Reg, even I can tell that something's amiss. Either you're doing something you shouldn't, or involved the people that aren't good for you, or something, and I want to know the deal," Sirius explained, though it appeared not to faze Regulus in the slightest. Feeling he hadn't made himself clear enough, Sirius continued," Look. To be perfectly candid Reg, I care enough about you to realized that something's not right, and I want to know what's causing the change."

"I don't know what you're talking about. Nothing's wrong," Regulus replied emphatically.

"Please, Regulus, _you_ don't just go perusing the halls at night, that's the kind of thing I would do," Sirius began, but was interrupted by his brother.

"I had things to take care of that's none of you're business. And nothing's wrong," Regulus replied even more emphatically than previously. He turned on his heel and began to head towards the doorway.

"I going to get to the bottom of this," returned Sirius in slight desperation to hold his brother's attention, "even if it means getting the Marauders involved."

Regulus whipped back around to face Sirius. "You wouldn't," he said in shear disbelief.

"There's something you're not telling me, Reg, and I'm going to find out what it is," Sirius stated. Sirius caught his brother's eyes and held them for a moment. Regulus's expression was one composed of defiance though Sirius could have sworn there was some fear lurking beneath his cloudy gray eyes. And just as abruptly as they had met Regulus was gone, mumbling incoherently about having things to do. Sirius lingered in the empty classroom for a moment more, and left with his resolve to discover his brother's secret stronger than ever.


	3. Chapter 3: Ruminations

"Dude, something's seriously buggin' you," James said quietly, well quietly for James anyway, that night in the common room. Books were strewn across the floor, Remus being the only one who was making an effort to pretend to be interested in one. Their light and carefree conversation had just taken a nastily icy turn.

"I am not bugging myself, so shut up," Sirius replied meekly. Nobody laughed.

"That was _weak_ Padfoot, usually your jokes are actually funny," James teased. Sirius glared at him dulling, trying to infuse daggers into his vision. It wasn't working. Remus was studying him quizzically from another armchair, more perceptive than James of Sirius's moody behavior.

When Remus started inspecting him like a challenging arithmancy problem, Sirius blew, annoyed and frustrated with his inability to carry out his threat to Regulus earlier that day. "That's it, I'm outta here," he said abruptly, standing and turning for the dormitories.

"But you never told us about your escapade after lunch," James called after him.

"Yeah, it's only 10:30," Peter chimed in.

"Let him be guys, I think he needs some space," Remus stated calmly. Nothing seemed to ever phase him, and Sirius was for once thankful for his sensibility. His gratefulness was short lived. Just as Sirius was planting his foot on the first step, he heard Remus continue, "Maybe I should go check on him in a little bit. See what's wrong…"

Irate, Sirius whirled around and yelled across the common room. "I don't need you to be my mother, Remus Lupin. Sod off. Now."

oOo

" Ah, bugger. _Reparro_."

Storming into his dormitory, Sirius had flopped onto his bed and roughly yanked the curtains around him. Exactly how rough he'd been, he hadn't realized till after a sharp ripping sound hit his ears.

Though the curtain was fixed, Sirius's irritation was in no way relieved. He formed his hand into the shape of a dog and ,after lighting his wand, made it scamper around the pool of light. This not begin sufficiently distracting he propped up his wand in order to free his other hand. Now the dog was snapping at alligators and bunny rabbits and other sorts of both meek and ferocious targets. It was fun for a while, inventing new animals, however haphazard they might me, and watching their merciless destruction.

It wasn't long before Sirius started to imagine himself as the dog in the scene, envisioning a shaggy black dog loping in pursuit of an emerald green snake. The snake slithered in front of the dogs snapping jaws, always just a little out of reach.

Just then Sirius realized the symbolism of it all and groaned in disgust at himself. Realizing he needed something more stimulating, Sirius lay almost motionless for several minutes. He was scheming.

oOo

Getting the cloak had been the easy part, Sirius now realized. After all Sirius knew where James always hid it: in his bottom left dresser drawer inside a shopping bag from Flourish and Blotts. Navigating the common Room wasn't easy, per say, but enough practice with two or three of them under the cloak made just one seem like a vacation.

His timing, however, was as far from impeccable as one could get. It was almost curfew, and self-absorbed couples were traipsing in through the portrait hole at an uncanny rate. It was almost sick to watch, some of them.

As the seconds crept closer to curfew, however, the urge to throw caution to the wind and just go for it increased steadily. Sidling slowly closer to the entrance, he was about to make his move when he heard footsteps approach the opposite side of the portrait. They didn't seem like McGonagall's purposeful strikes, so he wasn't overly concerned.

"Password?" the Fat Lady asked sweetly.

There was no coherent reply, only some scuffling and what seemed like a mixture between cooing and moaning. To Sirius's knowledge the password was not in Neanderthal.

Several seconds past with out any sign of the grunters letting up, and Sirius figured he was just going to freak a couple people out, screw being conscious not to show any sign that there was an invisible person walking around. He tentatively pushed against the back of the portrait and it swung forward smoothly.

_Thwack_.

_Well there's your problem_, Sirius thought wryly. He could hear some more scuffling and suddenly the portrait swung completely open. Sirius stepped out tentatively and saw from under the cloak two nameless 5th years. The girl, quite attractive for a 5th year, Sirius had to admit, was huddled in her boyfriends arms, mortification dancing across both of their faces. Their sever embarrassment quickly turned to confusion on the face of their girl and rage on the face of the boy as nobody emerged from the portrait hole. Or at least nobody they could see.

Suddenly the boy dropped his arms from around the meek looking girl. "Bah, that blasted James Potter and that bloody Sirius Black!" he growled, charging towards the Fat Lady. "They are going to _get it_ this time!" He stopped face to face the The Fat Lady.

"Well, ruin my fun, why don't you? Password."

"Hobnobbing Hobgoblin," he growled menacingly The portrait swung forward excruciatingly slowly. As soon as the gap was barely large enough, the boy dashed through it, intent on finding the perceived troublemakers and letting his anger loose. The girl dashed in after him, pleading with him in a rather helpless voice.

Sirius stood still for moment, unsure of whether to go back in and witness James fend off this 5th year menace, or to proceed on his way. Though there were definite advantages to both, leaving James seemed to be the better option. Sirius was sure to hear about it in the morning anyway.

oOo

Walking along a 4th floor corridor, Sirius's mind was whirring. Something was obviously going on with Regulus, and he needed to know what his brother was upset about. Even though he had threatened to get his friends involved, Sirius now realized the foolishness of that potential action. Ostensibly, his less than favorable opinion of his family was common knowledge to his friends: His mother was barking- there was no other way around it. And he loathed their misguided ideology. But beneath all the layers and layers of animosity, he cared for his brother. Regulus didn't have to be like them, and it sickened Sirius that he was slowly (or maybe not so slowly) being manipulated and coerced into believing their twisted even, dare he say it, evil way of thinking.

What ever Regulus was doing, Sirius figured by the way he had reacted, he was already in too deep to extract himself without dire consequences However, Sirius wanted, no, needed, desperately, to know what his brother was up to. Maybe, just maybe, Sirius could show his brother that he didn't _have_ to believe. Or, though part of him couldn't quite believe he was thinking this, Sirius wanted to be a source of comfort. Everyone said he had a natural knack for telling jokes and putting smiles on peoples' faces, a talent he was monstrously proud of. If he could put a smile on his brother's face like back when they were little, Sirius would be satisfied.

But to reach this satisfaction, Sirius knew he would have to earn his brother's trust: something he didn't and perhaps had never had. And Sirius didn't have any idea how to go about gaining Regulus's trust, which bothered him exceedingly.

Sirius was hoping to run into Regulus while wandering around the castle ruminating. He didn't know how late it was, but the odds of running into his brother seemed to be diminishing. The wandering around the castle had helped him think but he decided to return to his bed in the Gryffindor tower, where, if he was lucky, his friends would already be asleep.

He was walking down the charms corridor; it was deserted and the eerie silence was pressing upon ears. _It was just like the time I ran into Reg before_, thought Sirius idly. No sooner than this thought had crossed him mind, he heard footsteps coming up behind him. The footsteps were not quick, however they seemed self-assured. His heart was beating frantically in his chest. He knew all too well that though the invisibility cloak made one invisible, it did not in any way muffle sound. Knowing he was potentially flirting with an angry professor and detention, Sirius sidled over to a clear stretch of wall and pressed himself against it. As the footsteps grew louder, Sirius instantly recognized the mop of black hair and trailing green and gray scarf.

Sirius moved out from the wall and began to follow his brother as quietly as he could. But almost immediately, as if sensing the presence of someone else, Regulus stopped in his tracks and slowly glanced over his shoulder, his wand drawn and steady in his hand. Sirius froze, and after a tense moment Regulus turned around and continued on his way. Sirius began to follow again but, on second though, stopped. Tailing someone was not really a good way to earn their trust, and as much as he was dying to know what Regulus was up to, Sirius knew he needed to be patient and let Regulus come to him.

So despite the fact that he was itching to follow his brother, Sirius ducked into a short cut passage and returned without any further difficulties to the Gryffindor tower.

* * *

_A/N: I finally got around to writing the final part of this chapter, after 8 months of sitting unfinished on my computer. Yay! And while sitting in an airport between flights, too. Incredible how and when inspiriation strikes, isn't it? Well, anyway, I hope you enjoyed this longer chapter, though not a whole lot actually happens. More drama in the chapters to come, I promise. And, as always, reviews, whether you liked it or not, are appreciated. Thanks!!_

_Disclaimer: It's all still Jo's. No need to say more.  
_


	4. Chapter 4: Fire and Water

Sirius stumbled into the Great Hall the next morning, with bleary eyes and his tie askew. He had overslept, again, no thanks to the last night's adventure. He spotted his friends in close conversation, trying to be inconspicuous near the middle of the long Gryffindor table. He approached them, but as he drew near, their heads sprang apart and each quickly took a large mouthful of food.

_Great,_ Sirius thought as he set his school bag down and swung a leg over the bench to sit down. Though he was dying to know what they had been discussing, Sirius tried to play it cool and made no mention of it.

"So great of you to join us, Padfoot," James said crisply.

"Yeah, I overslept," Sirius replied with a shrug. He began to spoon some scrambled eggs onto his plate.

"You did, did you?" James shot back, in a tone that was making Sirius uncomfortable on several accounts. James rarely got truly irate, but when he did he was particularly nasty to be around. Flying objects were liable to hit you in the head, whether you were the intended target or not. "So that might explain why my invisibility cloak was borrowed last night..."

_Oh shit,_ Sirius thought, as something akin to fear swept through him, _he knows and he's not happy about it. _Sirius grunted noncommittally

"And would this happen to relate to the fact that I was practically assaulted by a bloody love-sick 5th year. If it hadn't been for some quick spell work by Moony here," Remus bowed his head slightly at the compliment, "I would have be lying in the bloody hospital wing covered in pustules." James paused and then pounced, "I can put two and two together, Sirius, you went pranking without us, and that is explicitly against the unwritten code of the Marauders What do you have to say for yourself? Huh?"

Sirius had instinctively assumed the mask he always fixed in place when his mother decided to inform of his worthlessness. He couldn't take this right now.

Quickly, he glanced around at the faces of his four friends: James was glaring at him, expecting an answer, Remus was intently contemplating his scrambled eggs, as if willing James to stop his inquisition, and Peter was glancing madly between the three of them like a kid visiting Zonko's for the first time.

_Great._ "I had some fraternal business to take care of," Sirius said shortly, hoping desperately that any mention of his tormenting family would be enough to shut James up.

James cast Sirius a suspicious sidelong glance, "You know, I don't believe you."

They locked eyes with each other, each willing the other to break it first. Someone coughed, and both boys snapped to face the offender.

"Wormtail," they growled in unison and then simultaneously stood and stalked out of the Great Hall, leaving a cowering Peter, and bewildered Remus behind.

oOo

_Things had been going so well, and then _wham_, they just had to turn remarkably sour, _Sirius thought as he prowled the halls without any particular destination, an act that was quickly become rather habitual. He didn't blame James for reacting the way he did. Knowing James' temper, he ought to have expected it. This in no means softened the ire Sirius felt towards him at the moment.

There were two things that weighed heavily on Sirius as he wandered through the endless corridors and passageways of Hogwarts: James couldn't know about Regulus' predicament and yet Sirius also recognized that he needed to know why Sirius nicked the cloak if they were to salvage their friendship.

How could he make James understand the myriad of conflicting emotions that he now felt? James, the son of two well to do pure-bloods who loved him unconditionally, mischief and average grades included; James, who never had to worry about what he said or how he acted around his parents; James, whose biggest concerns in life were ensnaring the affections of Lily Evans and how the Gryffindor Quidditch team did. Perhaps the better question was _would he ever understand?_

Anxiety over the predicament with James, added to his worries about Regulus, weighed heavily on Sirius' mind. Coming up on his left, Sirius remembered an abandoned classroom, whose ceiling leaked profusely. He knew it was cowardly, but he slowly pushed open the door, hiding from his friends and his fears.

The door was cracked several inches when Sirius checked himself. There was noise, that of a whimpering puppy coming from the other side of the door. Sirius inclined his head and listened for a moment. It didn't appear whom or whatever was inside had noticed the door cracking open. He continued to listen for several seconds, as what now seemed to be human sobs grew louder and more acute.

_Some first year,_ Sirius thought idly._ Well they can just bugger off._

He pushed the door the rest of the way open and started to enter, when he came to an abrupt halt. Inside the classroom was not some terrorized little first year, but none other than his brother.

Regulus' eyes were red and puffy, and tears streamed down his cheeks, as he made no attempt to stop the little rivulets from falling. He was sitting on an old desk, bent almost double, clutching his stomach or his forearms, Sirius couldn't quite discern. At the sounds of an intruder, Regulus' head snapped up. Sirius locked eyes with his brother. There was fear, mixed with pain, and perhaps even loathing in his gleaming black orbs.

Regulus swallowed visibly, panic starting to grace his features. He closed his eyes. "Leave," he croaked softly, his voice strangled by his tears.

Sirius met his brother's eyes once more and nodded solemnly, before slipping out of the room and closing the door softly behind him.

The bell tolled, marking the beginning of first hour. More bewildered and upset than when he stormed out of the Great Hall earlier, Sirius trudged off to Charms.

* * *

_A/N: Thank You for reading. I've decided to up the rating of this story for the couple foul words Sirius uses in this chapter. We have probably three or so chapters left (one of which I drafted a while ago, before I knew what I wanted to happen in the intervening chapters_)_. So If you stuck with me through my almost year long hiatus on this story, it shouldn't be too long before we come to the end of this little journey. Yay!  
_

_Also, I know Sirius is a bit angsty in the past couple chapters, which is not how I typically write. However, Sirius is usually protrayed as care-free and happy to be rid of his kooky Slytherin parents. I've always thought there must have been more to it than that. This story set out to explore the complex relationship with his brother and also Sirius' own emotions on the matter. Though I didn't set out to write a story about the relationship between James and Sirius, that has started to creep in. All friends have their disagreements, including James and Sirius. At any boarding school, I would imagine, the relationships between friends and family are closely connected. Nothing happens in a vaccume, so I felt it was only fitting to include this sub-plot. As such, this story is now listed under general and friendship genres instead of general and family. (I also thought I'd get more hits that way. :D ) Any comments on how you think I've been doing, and any other suggestions are very welcome. Always._

_Thanks. ~Marivan  
_


	5. Chapter 5: Silly and Deadly Serious

It had snowed. At the end of March. And the student body was enjoy this well timed gift of nature, only a few days before Easter Hols: a snowball fight, naturally. A wet and prickly substance collided with the side of Sirius' face. A dutiful marauder, he scooped up a hand-full of packed snow and fired back. A little first year Hufflepuff squealed satisfyingly as the snowball splattered the back of her neck. Sirius smirked. Bingo.

The game grew and descended into four-sided guerilla warfare. Some Slytherins riding brooms, who Sirius grudgingly admitted were at least a little bit clever, rained snowball down from above. Nobody escaped unscathed or dry. As chaos reigned around him, Sirius slowly withdrew from the game. Some quality Sirius time sounded delightful. At least it was better than getting pummeled by some crafty Slytherins.

And, of course, there was still the issue of Regulus, whom Sirius hadn't even glimpsed since their last encounter. He supposed Reg was intentionally avoiding him. The thought frustrated him, but he didn't blame his brother. Trust was not something Blacks were generally willing to hand out in copious amounts. Yet trust was so key to Sirius' plan: without it, he would get nowhere.

Pacing the along the far bank of the lake, Sirius grumbled to himself. A Catch-22 type situation? Sirius dearly hoped it was not the case. And yet his pacing and grumbling hadn't yet yielded any insight.

Snow crunched behind him. Footsteps.

Almost without thinking about it, instinctively Sirius morphed into his animagus form. Looking down, horrified, as his hands turned to paws, Sirius cursed his momentary lack of control. And his clothes. What to do about his clothes? Sirius scooped them up in his mouth and dashed them behind a bush, hoping that whomever was coming wasn't a perceptive prick. And his human footprints! Padfoot dashed about hoping to mask the damning marks in the snow. Sitting back on his haunches, Sirius admired his deceptive handiwork. Satisfied, he circled around two times, and then laid down and placed his head squarely atop his front paws.

Just then a small figure emerged from the direction of the school. Black hair. Slytherin scarf. Could it be? Sirius barked. The boy's attention snapped towards him.

Yes, indeed.

At the sight of this friendly human, Padfoot leaped to his feet and cocked his doggie head in what he assumed was a cute and friendly manner. Regulus' eyes lit up but he approached to dog with uncertainty.

"How do I know you're not some sort of trap?" he muttered.

Pretending as if he hadn't heard that last utterance - which a dog wouldn't understand anyway, though it might pick up on the not so nice tone of voice, but a stupid dog wouldn't notice the tone of voice and so Sirius assumed the personality of a strikingly air-headed canine - he barked once, jumped to his feet and ran in a playful circle around Regulus' feet, wagging his tale excessively.

Sirius noticed Reg stiffen and uncertainty wash over him. It was a trap, in a way, so how to make it not look like a trap?

Happy, stupid dog wasn't working, so what about silly, stupid dog?

Sirius made another circle around his brother's legs. Then ran over to the nearest tree and peed. It was embarrassing. Running back over to the young Slytherin, barking and bounding, Sirius noted Regulus' features relax.

_Bodily function humor. Who'da thunk it?_

Regulus knelt down beside the adorable dog, patting it's head timidly, as if it might break or transform at any second.

"I s'pose you really are a dog then," said Regulus quietly, "a very stupid dog."

Sirius barked and lunged to lick the young Slytherin's face, toppling both of them into the snow drifts. And then he laughed. Regulus laughed. The merry tones motivated Sirius to keep up the charade. It seemed like this situation was working and when fate presents you with an even better plan than the one you thought of (or couldn't, in this instance), hop aboard the magic carpet and enjoy the ride.

Sirius bounded off of his brother's chest and decided to grab the end of Regulus' silver and green Slytherin scarf.

"Hey!" called Regulus as the dog tugged on his scarf, "you're choking me." He sat up, and the black dog ran a circle around the young Slytherin, freeing the scarf. "Hey there!" Regulus grabbed the trailing end of his scarf, as the dog began to lope away from it. With Regulus laughing, they stood at odds, the scarf stretching between them.

Regulus shook his head. "Come here you," he said, fondly, "and give me my scarf back!" After a moment, Sirius complied, trotting over and dropping the scarf. He circled the spot twice and then laid down, head atop his front paws, waiting.

The young Slytherin dropped to the ground beside him and reach out to the silly black dog, now with a sense of need. Or was it urgency?

Regulus's head resting atop Padfoot's furry back, he began to speak, slowly and quietly.

"They made me take it. I couldn't say no. But the sneaking around, the special missions, the secrecy, it's all so, so... I don't know, depressing. No that's not right. Like I'm Atlas, carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders, and Prometheus, having his liver ripped out, simultaneously. And the meetings, those are worst of all. The things they do just for the heck of it. Dear Merlin. I can hardly stand it."

He sighed and paused. Sirius turned to lick his face, sympathetically. Regulus giggled and patted his head. "You know," he continued, "you're a very good listener. It's almost as if you understand me. But that of course is silly. You're just a dog. Too bad they don't allow dogs in the castle. I'd love to take you back with me... But that's silly."

He sighed, and both dog and human settled back into their old positions. Regulus continued: "But you know the absolute worst? I think my brother is onto my trail, and it scares me. You see, if you knew my brother you'd understand. But you don't know my brother, obviously, so let me explain. My brother and I have never really gotten along all that well. He's in Gryffindor, too, a disgrace to the Black family, although he seems perfectly content with being a disappointment, which I have never understood, but that's beside the point. Well, I guess the bigger point here is that, Sirius and his friends have this reputation as master jokers and schemers. And I think he's onto me, and it scares me. For me and for him. I mean, the older boys already think of him as a traitor. As much as I don't get along with my brother, you see, I don't want him dead either. Or have to kill him. Oh Merlin, that would be so terrible. Does that make any sense? Oh course not. You're a dog. Whatever."

Something damp soaked through Sirius' fur. A tear. His brother must be crying. His heart sank. He was too young for the pressure these boys were putting him under. Yet as much as Sirius wanted to find them and beat them up (preferably the Muggle way), these same boys wanted him dead. Dead.

He cursed himself for putting Reg in more hot water than he was already in. His course of action was now clear: he had to take a step back, as much as he hated himself for letting this happen to his brother, he couldn't go on snooping about. For both of their sakes. So as Reg sobbed into his thick fur, he lay there in the snow giving as much comfort to his brother as he would ever be able to give.

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_A/N: Thank you very very much for sticking with me. It's been a very long time since I last updated this story, which I can blame on nothing except laziness and forgetfulness. Still I hope you've enjoyed this story. We have two more chapters to go (one of which I've already written), so updates should be forthcoming more quickly. If you've any comment to make, I do appreciate reviews. And most of all, thank you for taking the time to read this little story. And for good measure:_

_Anti-Litigation chant: I don't own the characters and I am making no money off of this story, which has been written purely for the enjoyment of readers like you.  
_


	6. Chapter 6: A Void

Easter Holiday had come and past. The last Quidditch matches of the year had been settled. The House Cup win (not, most unfortunately, for Gryffindor) was all but official. Exams were nearing at a frightening pace and the pressure too was racketing up.

And the best, or worst, part of it all was that Sirius had seen nothing of his brother since that day at the lake. He supposed this was for the better, though he wasn't entirely sure on this count, but something about the way Regulus had betrayed such secret intelligence to him, had moved him. It wasn't pity he felt, but it wasn't rage. Compassion, was as well as he could describe it, mixed with a protective instinct, the way a mother defends her pups, or a second takes over when a dueler is incapacitated. He wanted, desperately, to be Regulus' second, and knew, unequivocally, that he never would, never could.

Still, with Remus hounding he and James to study for their upcoming exams, Sirius had little time to dwell on the unsavory business. And there were appearances to uphold with his friends and the rest of the school. James had never totally forgiven him about stealing the Cloak, but all three of his friends had seemed to forget the melancholy stretch in Sirius' spirit that had so puzzled them before. Life was, for all outward appearances, just as dandy as it had been before for a proud Marauder.

He would see Regulus soon enough, though Sirius wryly, when a wretched little house-elf would come to greet them both at King's Cross Station.

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_A/N: It's short and intentionally so. The final chapter is written and edited and will be posted in a few days. R&R? Cheerio._


	7. Chapter 7: After Exams

"Wahooooooooooooooooooooo!"

His shout echoed off the stark stone hallways and marble steps. Heads turned sharply with furrowed brows as he whizzed by. Several times he heard an admonition shouted from the high, unsure voice of a prefect, or the low, stern, and measured voice of a Professor. Not that it had any influence over him.

Sliding down the marble banisters, arms flung high in a celebratory manner, Sirius had lost all inhibitions. His 6th year was over, for Merlin's sake! Of course it was cause for celebration, and this was probably the only shot at it before leaving for home. That Grim. Old. Place.

His parents wouldn't be pleased with him, they never were. Not that it mattered to Sirius, but enduring countless hours of screaming fits and arguments were boring, monotonous. Sirius's anxiety over the situation at home stemmed, in fact, from another source entirely: his brother. More specifically, the realization that Regulus was in deep dodo and likely to act in rash, unpredictable, perhaps even violent ways.

But all that didn't matter now. He couldn't, no wouldn't, dwell on the future, especially one as grim as going home for the summer.

Sirius scooted round a corner, keeping his momentum and staying firmly seated on the banister, just like he'd done it a million times. He had, but nothing like this. A full canvassing of all the school's banisters, excluding the spiral staircases, those he still hadn't gotten to the bottom of with out ending up in the hospital wing, was definitely in order.

Suddenly, the stairwell began to move, swinging slowly through the air. He was coming closer and closer to the end of the banister, with an imminent several story drop. Yet, Sirius tilted his head back and let out a gleeful shout. His heart was pumping fast inside of him and just as he neared the end of the banister he set one foot on the last step and flung himself into the air, gracefully leaping as if between stepping stones in a bubbling creek. Gasps resounded from several bystanders, and a female voice let out a terrified squeak. Sirius landed one foot on the stairwell, and fluidly hopped unto this new banister. He made sure to wave and toss his hair for the gaggle of 4th year girls that were starring slacken jawed at him. Sliding by, he could have sworn he saw Professor Dumbledore wink at him, a smile creeping at the corners of the man's mouth.

And he kept going, the many faces and places of Hogwarts whirring by before him. He spotted Lily Evans scowling at him, an expression that Sirius couldn't decide whether it was intimidating or incredibly gorgeous. When she scowled, Sirius grasped the full understanding of why James was so crazy about her. Lily Evans wasn't easy to comprehend like most girls, she was a challenge, and James always like a challenge.

He heard a whoop from within a crowd of Ravenclaw girls, and caught a glimpse of a bit of light brown hair that he took to be Remus, finally emerging from the Library.

Some of the portraits scolded him, other toasted him with their goblets full of mead, and one particularly annoying knight was running from portrait to portrait shouting things like, "On, my comrade, on!" and " Out of the way you scurvy dogs, you! This chivalrous knight is on a most noble quest!" Sirius was getting closer to the Great Hall, his grand final entrance to Lunch. People would be waiting for him to do something dramatic, no doubt.

Sirius heard someone call his name, and almost without thinking about it, Sirius hopped off the banister and looked around for the body which that so intimately familiar voice inhabited. There weren't that many people around, Sirius realized, a fact that was a tad dismaying, but he pushed it to the side, as his eyes settled on a mop of messy black hair almost identical to his own.

"What do you want, Regulus?" Sirius called, a bit annoyed. A small boy was almost instantly at his side, like he apparated, though that obviously wasn't possible. He hadn't seen his brother in months, and Sirius noted immediately how the stress was wearing on him: sallow cheeks and exhausted eyes.

"I was curious what you were doing, that's all," Regulus replied in an irksome matter-of-fact tone.

"What does it look like I was doing?" Sirius hissed. He had a reputation to uphold, after all. "I was doing some post exam celebration, if you couldn't decipher that for your bloody prat of a self. What do you want anyways?"

"Then where are the rest of you little posse?" Regulus sneered, "Especially James, wouldn't he want to participate in some, er, 'post exam celebration,' as you put it."

"Well, Mr. Smarty, James is flying laps around the Quidditch Pitch, Peter's sitting in the stands watching him, and Remus was in the library until about two minutes ago," Sirius smarted back. "Notice none of us are doing anything mischievous or rash. Again what do you want?"

Regulus snorted, "Yeah, and sliding down the banisters, shouting like a banshee isn't rash at all!"

"If fact, I've been planning this for months, thus proving without doubt that I was neither rash nor mischievous. Now stop avoiding the question."

"Well then, we'll see how OUR parents like when I rat you out from all you bad behavior this year, especially the sneaking out late," Regulus replied. He turned on his heel and headed back down the staircase, though Sirius could have sworn that was the direction he came from. Frustration boiling inside of him, Sirius hastily pulled out his wand and flicked it in his brothers direction. Regulus stumbled a bit, before toppling over, falling down the stairs with a series of thuds and thumps. Sirius, proud of his non-verbal spell work (it was a lovely Impediment Jinx) hopped back onto the banister and slid down to where this brother was laying, a bruise already beginning to form on his cheek. Sirius supposed he could have walked down the stairs, but he was content to milk his brother's ire for all it was worth. Regulus simply glared at Sirius.

"Not as haughty after and bit of cuddling with the steps, are you?" Sirius smirked.

"Oh you just wait till Mother and Father find out about this they'll be so, so angry!" Regulus said shakily, rising slowly to his feet, the pain from his bruises apparent.

Sirius bent in close to his brother's ear. "They put you up to this, didn't they?" he hissed. At his brother's shocked expression, Sirius continued, "Don't ask, 'cause I won't tell you. If you're trying to get me to come home, you're going about it all wrong. Our parents hate me just because I exist, and sweet little Regulus coming home with a couple bruises due to a nice little fall down the steps courtesy of his older brother's spell work, that was non-verbal, by the way, is only a flicker in the unending, tumultuous fire of their hatred."

"I didn't know you were capable of making up metaphors on the spot," Regulus sneered, pulling away from his brother.

"Ha, ha, very funny," Sirius sneered back, "did you ever consider that your older brother might actually be intelligent. Oh and did I mention that non-verbal Impediment Jinx?"

"You won't be laughing when Mother and Father disown you, which they're bound to due eventually. I mean you're in Gryffindor for one, and bloody proud of it for a second. I can't believe they haven't already, I mean look at you," Regulus threatened.

"No, you don't understand, do you?" Sirius replied. "It's me who's going to have the last laugh in the matter. You see, I think for myself, and I find their ideologies sick, repulsive, and at times down right scary. Yet, like all cowardly Slytherins, they don't have the nerve to disown me until I provoke them. Oh sooner or later, I'll provoke them, yes, and, you know, it'll probably be sooner than later. Maybe even this summer."

"You wouldn't," Regulus replied, astonishment engulfing his face, which he quickly tried to reign in and replace with a calm expression.

Sirius leaned in close to his brother again, "Where do you think I'd be safer: at home amongst a bunch of raving, megalomaniacs, or somewhere else where people happen to appreciate my company?"

Regulus' face contorted into one of pain. "Away." It was so soft, even Sirius could barely hear it.

Sirius nodded and, taking a step back, looked around for the first time since his conversation with Regulus had begun. He hadn't noticed the utter silence or the number of starring eyes and shocked expressions. Regulus fled the scene. Sirius made no move to follow him.

He didn't want to hop back on the banister; he wasn't in any mood to celebrate anymore.

Sirius trotted off down the steps towards the Great Hall. He needed to talk to James.

_fin._

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_A/N: My muse and inspiration for this story once again come from artdungeon this time from the doodle of Sirius Black. Can you believe it? We're finally finished! Well, I thank you for sticking with me to the very end years after I began this journey. My first fanfic is finally completed! Reviews are love. Thank you and ciao.  
_

_Disclaimer: Jo still owns it all (except for the plot - that's mine)  
_


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